Person of Interest
by Jekeled
Summary: The new Winter Knight hunts down a person wanted very badly by both Sidhe courts. What's the worst that can happen? Rated T for language/violence.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer**-I don't own the Dresden Files or any characters that stem from it. I just take them, throw them into a box, douse them in gasoline, and then cackle with glee as they go up in flames.

**A/N-**This is my first fanfic (though not my first fiction piece), so any and all advice is appreciated.

My day was going badly even before I had to play bounty hunter. I was walking out of a greasy spoon diner in Nowhere, Alaska having just completed a particularly grueling job as Winter Knight (turns out even Winter Knights can die of hypothermia when dunked into freezing water). As I walked out, a sudden gust of wind blew a fresh burst of snow into my face. When it cleared, I was in Arctis Tor. Somehow, it managed to be even colder than Alaska, and my battered body just collapsed into a bench made of black ice.

"Tired, my Knight?" purred a voice in my ear.

For the record, Sidhe Knights do not jump. A violent shiver just wracked my body at that particular moment.

Mab, the owner of the voice, my boss and the Queen of Air and Darkness, continued without stopping. "I hope not, for I have another job for you".

"Great", I grumbled. "Where do I get the privilege of getting my ass kicked now? Antarctica? Mount Everest? Maybe even-"

Mab just smiled at me during this outburst-a truly scary sight-and pulled out a photograph. "This man is in Chicago. Find him. Bring him to me".

I blinked, cut off mid-rant. "That's it?" I asked suspiciously. It couldn't be that easy. Right?

"Yes", Mab said simply.

My suspicions arose in full force. Something was off about this whole thing… "Why do you want him?"

As I asked this, Mab's cat-pupil eyes became distant, as if looking into the past, and then suddenly snapped back into the present, cruel cold fury mixed with madness in her eyes. "That is not for you to ask", she hissed, rage laced in her every word. I flinched as every consonant bit into my ears, causing my vision to go white with pain.

"All right!" I exclaimed, easing away off the seat and turning to walk away. Discretion and valor and all that.

"Do not fail me", Mab murmured, voice suddenly calm.

I turned around in shock. Despite the menacing threat in those words, but that wasn't it. In those words I heard…sadness? Pain? No…The Queen of Air and Darkness wouldn't feel emotions, especially not those. Still, though...there was something there. Dismissing those problems from my mind for now, I turned around and walked away, to go catch a person of interest.

**A/N-**Sorry about the boring and incredibly short setup. Starting stories has always been a struggling point for me. Also, this seemed so much longer in Word... So, what do you think of the story? Like it? Hate it? Want to see more of it? Tell me! I'm a reviews junkie!


	2. Chapter 2

Being the Winter Knight may have been the equivalent of selling my soul. It may have gotten me killed (technically, it was…well…complicated), cut me off from my family, friends, job, and coworkers, and generally made my life miserable, but it sometimes had its perks. For instance, when I stepped out in the hot Chicago day (only Chicago could be hot in October) and viewed my new ride. A Trans Am, identical to the one in "Smoky and the Bandit", stood right there on the curb, somehow having avoided having been stolen. Cackling with glee, I slid across to the driver's side, Dukes of Hazzard style, and sent a whisper of power into the door, unlocking it before doing the same to start the engine.

"All right, you sonna bit!" I deadpanned (some things are just too hard to resist), "Let's see what you can do". I then proceeded to break the sound barrier as I headed to the only place the man in the photo could be.

It was nothing complex. It didn't even require any magic. On my way to the Way (no pun intended), I took the liberty of examining the photo. Whoever took it was a real pro-it could have been used as the guy's license photo if not for the fact that he wasn't aware that he was being observed. I stared at his face, analyzing and memorizing the details of it. It was nothing special. Brown eyes, bland face, and dirty blond hair-everything smacked of a suburban husband with 2.5 kids and .33's of a dog. I couldn't figure out why Mab could possibly want someone like this (barring the admittedly possible explanation that she wanted to make a random person's life a living hell). Moving on to the background, I couldn't find anything of importance there, either. Nothing was visible besides the background, which were just a couple trees. Nothing about it seemed vaguely identifiable, so the photo was a waste of ti-wait. What about that tree seemed off? I stared at it for a few seconds, until inspiration hit me.

"Got you now", I chuckled as I headed for the Chicago Zoo.

As I broke traffic laws that hadn't been invented yet, I thought over what would happen when I got to the unavoidable confrontation. It was very, very hard to be wanted by Mab, not know that you were wanted by Mab, and most importantly, not know what Mab would do to you. Odds are Blandy would know at least 1 of these, and thus would be extra-wary. I would probably have to chase him, or, worst-case scenario, fight him. My thoughts were interrupted by my arrival at the zoo. Surveying the damage (surprisingly little), I jumped out and headed into the zoo.

A few minutes later, I stood at the scene of the photograph-the Koala bear exhibit. The distinctive eucalyptus trees stood in the background, and I stood where Duldley was standing and surveyed the area. The exhibit was mostly empty, with only a few visitors milling around. I didn't see Borington, or anything that looked like it might be connected to him, so the zoo was a bust. I might be able to use the photo to get a general lock with a tracking spell, but from there I would have to-wait. On the ground, in a blind spot that was only visible from the spot I was standing in, was what appeared to be writing. Hustling over, I bent down to observe it. It was indeed writing, done in white chalk. Well, smiley faces don't really count as writing, but still. Sighing, I shifted my weight to get up.

"Took you long enough", a voice grumbled from right behind me.

**A/N-**Sorry for the other expository chapter. But from here on in, there should be more action. Any guesses as to who/what the mysterious character is? Post it in the reviews like everything else you have for me! And thanks for taking the time for reading my story!


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N-**Sorry for the wait. Between computer issues (go to hell, blue screen of death!) and a trip out of time I was not able to get any work done. To apologize to my 4 reviewers (thanks for quadrupling my reviewership! I do appreciate it!) I am releasing not just 1, but 2 chapters! Enjoy!

I whirled around to face The Voice. Just as I had suspected, it was the amazing Nondescript Man. However, there was nothing nondescript about him now. Everything about him seemed changed, and despite the fact that he still looked nonthreatening he had an aura of…life? Confidence? Badassery? It can be hard to tell apart, you know. However, it was the eyes that really were the shockers. As much as I could see without triggering a soulgaze, I could see that while one eye was brown, as in the picture, the other eye was a bright, piercing x-ray blue that seemed to pierce my soul. It was unnerving, to say the least. Sneaking a quick look at the picture, I could see that that was _definitely_ not how his eyes were supposed to look. Glancing back up, I saw him looking at me quizzically with that same queer (strange! Not that king of way!) gaze. He also wasn't running. Or attacking me. Or even showing any fear. That (mentally, at least) threw me for a loop.

"I thought I was going to have to send a postcard," he continued, as if nothing had happened, in a voice that smacked of the Deep South. Capitol Letter Deep South.

"W-wha…?" was all I managed to stammer out. Yep. I sure can banter. I deserve a medal.

"You are a Knight, aren't you?" he continued.

Pulling my thoughts together, I managed out a "Yes". At least I didn't stutter this time. Hey, don't judge. Pulling thoughts together takes time!

"Well", he said in a condescending tone of voice, "you took so long getting here that I thought you had gotten lost. I figured it would be a good idea to send a postcard to y'all so you knew where I was".

"Ah", I said. Still pulling together…

"Good", he said, suddenly all business. "I'm turning myself in".

I blinked again. What was going on here? "Okay…" I managed out. "Dare I ask why?"

He smiled. "The Queens have hunted me for the better part of 25 years".

I blinked at that. He barely looked 30. Unless he was a lot older than he looked, that would mean that he had been on the run since he was 5.

Apparently not noting any type of surprise on my face, he continued, "And I'm tired of running. I just want to end it all".

I am not proud of what I did next. In my defense, I was tired, sore, and somehow hot (stupid Chicago! It's bloody October!), and I mostly just wanted to go home (or, more accurately, to my living quarters).

"Okay," I said, "Let's go".

And, putting him squarely in front of me (using the few brain cells still functioning), I escorted him to the car.

**A/N-**Well, guess I lied. Sorry! The action will start next chapter though-I promise!


	4. Chapter 4

Well. It appears my day was finally looking up. I had apprehended the guy I needed, and was about to bring him back to Mab with minimal effort on my part. If I was lucky, maybe I could wheedle a vacation out of this. However, there were still a few things that needed answering. When we were almost at the car, I hustled forward to unlock it. Throwing a covert glance, I noticed that both his eyes were brown. What was going on there? But, as I bent down to unlock the car (no, magic does not allow for remote unlocking. Yes, I am working on it), I asked another one of my burning questions.

"What's your name?"

In the instant the question escaped my lips, yet before the car unlocked, my vision went pure white as I was thrown about 200 feet through the air. There was a wall in the way. I went through it. There was a second wall in the way. This one I didn't go through. Both walls hurt. A fucking lot. When my vision cleared, I could see the man (if it was truly a man) standing in front of me. He had a small smirk on his face, and power radiated off him in little tidal waves crashing against my senses. Well, I knew one thing now. He had power. A lot of power. Though…something was off about it. It felt…weird. Not necessarily bad, like the dark power of vampires, but…different.

"My name", he said, interrupting my train of thought, "Is Nicholas Tarm". As he said this, all trace of any Southern accent bled its way out of his voice, until by the end there was no trace of it. And having said that, he turned around and walked away. I was too tired to worry about those implications right now. Exhaling with relief, I took stock of my injuries. Somehow, I had avoided any broken bones (my fancy new spell-lined duster probably helped with that), but my stomach hurt like hell. Given my luck, I had probably ruptured something, though the Winter Knight's powers should have healed that already. Looking down to see if anything else was damaged, I blinked in shock. The driver's door of the Trans Am had pinned me to the wall like a butterfly in a naturalist's office. Looking around warily, I noticed that the other pieces had all embedded themselves around me like the wall was butter and they were knives that had just gotten out of the oven. Hell's fucking bells. Miraculously, though, only the door had hit me (and let me tell you, I felt so lucky), but still. The guy had blasted apart my car using only raw power, and he didn't even look winded. But still, you don't give up a job as Winter Knight (not if you want to keep your internal organs and/or sanity intact, anyway), even if the job has gone past "hell" status and is heading for "my god why didn't I just die in the womb" ugly. Like it or not (I didn't), I still had to do it. Using a bit of power to pull out the door, I collapsed to the ground in a haze of pain until the cold power of the Winter Knight healed my wound and took the pain away. Getting up, I looked around and sighed. I got that he had to get rid of me, but couldn't the bastard have spared my car?

**A/N-**There, see? Action! I told you I'd pick it up! But anyway, continue to read (I'm like a junkie every time I check traffic stats-"c'mon…just a few more hits…just a few more hits…"), and please, for the love of god, REVIEW! I need to know how full of shit I am! The whole "faint success" thing has inflated my ego way to much! But anyway, thank you all four reviewers, and I'll have a new chapter out (assuming the blue screens don't come back) sometime this week, so enjoy these two!


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N-**One of the things I've wondered is why no one has called me out on my description gaffe. What gaffe, you wonder? The one where I say _both _courts are after the man. Well, in this chapter the mistake is rectified. For all of you who reviewed, I thank you from the bottom of my heart, and for those of you who didn't, PLEASE review! And don't forget-enjoy!

Shaking my fading pains away, I inventoried my issues. No car-check. One tired, bruised, and beaten wizard-check. A powerful bounty running around, with precious few options for his capture-check. Sigh. Well, it could be worse. Somehow.

"Hello, Harry", said yet another voice from behind me.

For the second time that day, I whirled around to confront…

"Fix?" I inquired incredulously. "What are you doing here?"

"I'm here for the same reason you are", he said. He looked serious. The "death in the family" type of serious.

Fix's next words were suddenly drowned out by a white-hot burst of pain from my chest. What the _hell_? The Winter Knight's powers should have healed any of my wounds, and besides, I didn't have a chest wound. However, as soon as I thought this, the pain suddenly stopped, as sudden as it had started. I blinked a few times. However, it was a problem for another time. Meanwhile, Fix was finishing up whatever he was saying.

"…so it's decided then?" he continued, oblivious to any issues.

"Eh?" I stammered eloquently. Fix glanced at me with a quizzical expression.

"To work together, by order of Titania and Mab, to capture one Nicholas Tarm", he said, as if reciting a letter or speech.

I started. Summer and Winter working together. Such a thing was practically unheard of, at least for as long as history was recorded. This guy was really wanted. Wordlessly, Fix handed me a scroll (seriously. A scroll. Made of vellum.). Unraveling it, I glanced it over, verifying it was really from Mab, and scanning its contents. Hell's Bells. It was as Fix had said-the courts had declared a cease-fire until Nicholas Tarm was hunted down and brought to the Queens. In addition, every asset in both Summer and Winter had been mobilized against him, with strict orders to not combat the other. This guy was not wanted. He was practically found. I rolled up the scroll and eyed Fix, an idea coming to mind. It was better than some of the ones I had made (though, of course, that meant that it only had a medium percentage chance of blowing up in my face).

"So. I'm guessing the Queens want this done ASAP?"

Fix looked at me with a weird expression. "That would probably be best, yes. I was thinking we could start by finding him, and then work from there".

I smiled. "Well, in that case, let's go get some lunch."

By this time, Fix was looking at me with that expression psychiatrists give their new patients who seem sane, but really are battier than a belfry. "Um…Harry…wouldn't it be best to actually get this job done? Fast?"

I just smiled even wider…then pulled out the portrait-perfect picture of Nicholas Tarm-the one that was so good it could be used in a tracking spell.

Fix just looked at me. "I don't get it".

I laughed. "I'll explain it on the way to Burger King".

Fix rolled his eyes. "Of course". Then, we headed to his car on our way to the greatest restaurant in the known Universe.

**A/N-**Sorry for the short chapters, those of you who remarked. I tried to make this one a little longer, but due to FanFic length being different than Word length, I'm not sure how good of a job I'm doing. So don't hesitate to tell me!


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N-**Sorry for the very, very long silence. I've been very busy these past weeks, and this chapter hasn't sat right with me. A few rewrites later, and I'm out with a longer chapter that will manage to lead to the end I imagined! Thanks for your patience and reviews!

After a delicious and nutritious lunch at Burger King (It's good for the soul), I put my plan into action. Sitting on the ground in a chalk circle, I pulled out the photo, a map of Chicago, and an old-timey fountain pen. Creating a thaumatergic link between the photo and the man, I used a trick that I had once seen an ectomancer use. Breaking the circle, I sprayed the ink into the air above the map and sent the link into it. The ink instantly condensed into a circle about ¾ of an inch in diameter on the map above….my old neighborhood?

"So he's in the center of the circle?" Fix asked, looking over my shoulder.

"No", I replied. "The photo isn't a strong enough link. He's just anywhere within that circle. If I had a lock of hair or a blood sample, I could get it closer, but it's a miracle that it managed to work as well as it did".

Fix sighed. "Better than nothing, I suppose. Let's go". Folding up the map, I stretched the cramps from my legs and followed him to the car.

Getting out of the car, I was struck by a wave of sadness. This had been where I had lived for the past 10 years. Being here was like an emotional punch in the gut, reminding me of everything I had lost. Shaking off the feelings, I turned and surveyed the area. It was mostly as I had left it, with the glaring exception of the large building where my old apartment used to be. The "Brighter Future Society" had moved in, and changed the block's landscape. Looking at it, my chest started to constrict. In all probability, some or all of my friends were in there. Thinking about them…it hurt. But my thoughts were interrupted by Fix's urgent whispering.

"Over there", he hissed in my ear.

Looking over, I could indeed see our target at the Brighter Future building. He appeared to be…hammering at the door? I couldn't make out what he was saying from here, but I could tell he was demanding to enter.

"All right", I whispered to Fix. "Pincer move-you go left, I go right".

"Ok", Fix whispered.

Getting up, I went around to capture the fugitive once and for all.

Creeping up to the building corner, I peeked around it to see Tarm still demanding entrance. Leaping around the corner, I decided to take no chances. Swinging my new staff like a baseball bat, I clocked him across the face with it. Now, this staff is nothing to sneeze at. It's a pretty damn big chunk of wood with a lot of heft, and when a big guy like me swings it the police classify it as a deadly weapon. I just wish someone had told this to Tarm. Instead of dropping like a sack of bricks, he just shrugged it off and grabbed the staff. I felt him activate a burst of power, but it was not directed at me-it was directed at the staff. As I watched, speechless, the staff's elaborately carved runes smeared and faded before my eyes until it was like they were never there. I was left there holding a stick of wood that had absolutely no magical use, with the exception of beating up renegade warlocks.

"Oh c'mon", I shouted. "Now that's just not fair".

The guy just smirked at me, then turned around and grabbed Fix's arm before it could rabbit-punch him in the neck. He then proceeded to break the arm like it was a twig over his knee. Fix screamed. Tarm proceeded to take the broken arm and twist it in the socket, dislocating it. Fix's screams got even louder. He then sent a burst of power through the arm and into Fix. Fix passed out. He then turned to me.

"I don't suppose we could negotiate this?" I asked meekly.

He smirked even more. "Not unless you're willing to pay me in dusters. Where'd you get that, by the way?"

I stood there, speechless. Again. Battlefield taunts are a sorely underutilized art whose impact is usually lost on most people. Apparently this guy hadn't gotten that memo, and was conducting a textbook case of banter with me.

"I stole it", I said, "Off the last guy who thought he could take me down".

"Good," he replied. "I guess I'll just have to complete the circle. Dusters are such an underappreciated theme. And besides-El Dorado wasn't that bad".

"I know," I agreed. "Everyone throws that around like it's an insult, but I just don't see it".

And with that inspiring comeback, I launched into a kick aimed at where it would hurt the most, while simultaneously releasing a giant blast of force from behind him to throw him off balance and throw him towards me. He didn't buy into any of it. The wave of force ripped past him without putting a single strand of hair out of place, and he grabbed my leg and broke it as easily as he had broken Fix's arm. I dropped to the ground, screaming. It hurt. Then, adding injuries to more injuries, he sent the same wave of power up my leg. Suddenly, it was like every injury that leg had ever sustained-gunshots, broken bones, and more-suddenly decided to gang up and haunt me. All the pain came rushing back in a wave that was sickeningly greater than all of its parts. And when its parts include the injuries I've had, that's saying something. What's worse, the wave travelled _up_ my leg, going into my core and releasing more and more pain from past injuries there. I could physically hear bones breaking; see flesh rip where bullets had bitten into it. As darkness started to eat away at my consciousness, I had time for one thought:

"Maybe the brute force approach wasn't such a good idea after all". And with that inspiring picture in my mind, I blacked out.

Waking up, I felt like hell. Even though the Winter Knight's powers had healed most of my newly reformed injuries while I was sleeping, the pain was still there in a dull, aching throb. Glancing over, I could see Fix in mostly the same predicament. One thought managed to penetrate my pained mind-despite all the commotion, why hadn't the Brighter Future folks come outside to see what all the fuss was about? Looking up, I could see some Norse guardians shaking at the door. Looking closer, I could see they appeared to have been trapped inside. No problem for me-the less awkward questions about my continued life I had to answer, the better. Helping the still-catatonic Fix to his feet, I helped him to his car and drove away. Recuperating at the friendly local neighborhood Burger King for the second time, I examined the map. The circle had somehow gotten bigger, and it just put his location somewhere in the vicinity. Sighing, I put it away, then turned to Fix.

"We need a plan," I sighed.

**A/N-**And on that irritating note, this chapter ends. As I push deeper into Dresden canon, I'm probably going to make more mistakes, so any help pointing out those would be greatly appreciated. The tone of Dresden is also pretty hard to nail down. Am I doing a good job? Tell me how I'm driving! Thanks for reading/reviewing, and sticking around for this long wait. I have more surprises in store, don't you worry! And one more thing-I enjoy canon Nazis. They allow me to practice my Eisenhower impression. :)

-Jekeled


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N-**Sorry for another long wait. Once again things have conspired to keep me unable from writing for a few weeks (edit-months). I'll take this space to address some (well…an) issue that a reviewer brought to my attention-Dresden beats so many people out of his weight class, why hasn't he just kicked the ass of Tarm? The reason is that this story's not over yet, and I'm not finished beating Dresden up. Authors can be such pricks sometimes.

Having been an avid watcher of Looney Toons when I was a kid, I of course knew quite a lot about traps and how to set good ones. For instance-checking to see if your trap has gone off is generally a bad idea, as is going into it to see why the poor Roadrunner hasn't triggered it yet. Anvils were off-limits in this trap, as was paint. However, standing in an abandoned warehouse that must have been over 100 degrees, I belatedly realized something-you can take the stupidity out of the plan, but you can't plan out your stupidity.

"Anything yet?" I hissed to Fix, who was on lookout duty.

"Nothing yet", he whispered back. Sighing, I settled back and worked on a way to turn my cool Winter Knight powers into an air conditioner.

"We need to lure him in", I had said to Fix back at Burger King. "But it needs to be plausible. Something that, despite his suspicions, he needs to check out".

"Congratulations", Fix said. "You've just described a trap".

Glaring at him, I continued: "He seemed to have quite a bit of interest in the Brighter Future Society, so it might be possible to lure him in off of that angle.

Fix looked up from his hamburger at me. "What if we send him a message telling him that someone from the Society wants to meet him?"

"I like it," I said. "We just need a way of getting the message to him".

"That is the kicker", said Fix.

However, as I thought about it, an idea hit me. I smiled into my own burger. "Fix, finish up", I said. "We're going to play Cowboys and Indians".

In hindsight, the easiest way to send a message was obvious, if not particularly legal. However, one (abandoned) building fire later and some magically directed smoke, I was fairly confident that he had seen the giant magical clouds of smoke pointing out the warehouse where we now sat. I was jolted out of these thoughts by the sound of the warehouse door opening. Peeking out from behind my hiding place, I could see that it was, indeed, Tarm.

"Hello?" He called into the warehouse. He stepped in a little further, peering suspiciously around. "Anyone in here?"

Now, there are many ways for people to communicate using magic. I had used one crude form of this many years ago with Elaine, my first crush, and I had used one again when…when I rescued my daughter. I opted for a simpler method:

"Now, Fix!" I screamed across the warehouse, "Go!"

A few things happened as I screamed that. Tarm whirled around, his hands glowing with some kind of golden power, presumably meant to make my life a living hell. I started sucking all available power in from the air around me, storing it but not releasing it. And, most importantly, a circle of power snapped into place around the entire warehouse, cutting off the flow of magic to the building. Tarm's hands immediately stopped glowing with that weird light, and I took the opportunity to snarl "_forzare"_, converting some of the pent-up power in my body into a lance of raw force so powerful it blew him across the warehouse. There were some very solid-looking boxes there. He went through them.

"Karma's a bitch", I snarled, stalking over to him. "Ready to surrender yet, Nicky boy"?

Wincing, he staggered to his feet, and then faced me. "I'm good for another round if you are".

Briefly, I entertained the notion that I might have been out of my depth.

Hissing something under his breath, he vanished, and I heard a crash from behind me. I'd like to say I was cool and unflappable, but the truth was I had had enough at this point. I whirled, cursing, pulled out my revolver and started firing shots blindly. I was rewarded by the sight of Tarm doubled over, hands clutched over his stomach. He stood up, snarling, and leapt at me. Within a few seconds, it was all over.

"Not bad," he said, as he staggered to a relatively vertical position. "But now it's time to end this".

I had done everything I could have to have stopped him…except for one thing. I staggered over to a nearby crate and grabbed one single, little thing.

"Well Knight," he said panting, time to go". And with that, he opened the door…and came to a dead stop. Outside, restrained by the circle Fix had drawn up, was an army. Faeries were everywhere-pressing against the circle, flying around, as far as the eye could see. Tarm turned around. I held up the one thing I had grabbed-a pebble.

"You surrender", I said very quietly. "Or I flick my wrist and let you deal with them".

His mouth twisted into a bitter smile. "I'm beat, aren't I".

I nodded.

"Let's go then".

I pulled out the specially designed faerie cuffs, and took him to his destiny with Mab.

**A/N-**Thanks for reading after the REALLY long wait. I'll try to take less time on the next (and last) chapter! Reviews are helpful-if I'm doing something wrong, don't hesitate to tell me. I want to know if I'm screwing something up. Once again, thanks for sticking with me!


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